A Winner Is Two! Der Kommodore
by An Ordinary Fan
Summary: Realising how sinister his employers were, Commodore Smoker quit his job as an Enforcer for the AWIT tournament. However, he knows too much about the inner workings of the BORED company, and they're out to get him. Can he survive, AND save his crew?
1. A New Beginning

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own this tournament, One Piece, Deathklok, Metal Gear Solid, X-Men, or any other characters that might appear in this story.**

**Author's Note:** I'm back in this tourney, baby! For those just tuning into the tournament, contestants that have lost both of their original characters are allowed to return to the battlefield if they use an abandoned character. As Smoker was abandoned by the host, avararjk137, that means I can get back to kicking kiester! …Oh, and in case you're wondering, the title is 'The Commodore' translated into German. I like German.

…Oh, and there's some mild language. Just warning you.

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

**Der Kommodore - Prologue**

_Smoker was almost ready to get up and give up. There was no way he could reconcile working with deceitful bastards like BORED – even the relatively reasonable ones like Ofdensen and occasionally Solidus. It was time to bring back the old Smoker – the one who had no problem telling superiors to eat shit so he could go pursue justice his way. Snapping back to reality, he noticed a redheaded woman with a very unusual skin tone slinking into his line of sight, at a moderate distance. He tensed to fight yet again, but then recognized her – Mystique, one of the other Enforcers – and relaxed a hair. "What're you doing here? Don't tell me they've sent you do get diplomatic with me?"_

_Mystique shrugged. "I was told I'd get a new keycard to replace the one I'd lost if I came here and followed the instructions."_

_Smoker tensed again. "I can't believe this… they're pitting two of __us__ against each other?!"_

_She shook her head. "My instructions were just to watch for anything 'strange'." Smoker noticed a few Klokateers coming out of the forest behind her. "Although I didn't expect to have backup, so that already qualifies."_

_Smoker sighed and got up. "You won't have to wait long; I'm heading back to HQ." He was rubbing the back of his neck when he felt his ears pop painfully. "What was that?"_

_"The force field is down," Mystique murmured. "I'm calling them." She raised her walkie-talkie, but a Klokateer waved her down. "Since when is this your call?"_

_"Do you have a keycard that outranks mine?" the Klokateer replied curtly. Mystique glared but lowered the device, then blinked._

_Smoker found himself blinking, too. It had just gone from being nearly sundown to noon in terms of ambient light. He looked up, and found a column of light fast approaching. "Well, shit."_

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

The Lotus Eater. A powerful satellite owned by BORED, capable of emitting a fifteen-foot beam of light that could vaporize all organic matter. By 'organic', it would not destroy possessions such as keycards and weapons, allowing the corporation to eliminate any bothersome contestants or rogue enforcers while being able to get hold of their swag…well, they could, if they were not preoccupied with one of the most powerful dairy-centric demons in modern times. It was this laser that brought about the death of Commodore Smoker.

…At least, that was what Solidus was hoping for. The former president had not been worried about Smoker using his powers to evade the laser. After all, smoke is visible because of the carbon particles suspended in it, and carbon chemical compounds were considered organic in the realm of science. However, there was a technicality that had been overlooked: the simplest carbon compounds are officially classified as inorganic compounds. Because of this, the laser purposely ignored these simple carbon compounds, such as carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide.

Two of the compounds found in smoke.

In the brief seconds between when he saw the beam and its impact, Smoker had used the powers of his Devil Fruit to change his body into smoke. Though he was unaware of the laser's organism-killing properties, the commodore was familiar with the concept that light passes through gas. The blast was followed by a loud crackle and a rush of hot wind, powerful enough to blow the smoke body clear out of the purged area before the light faded away.

By the time that the wind petered out, Smoker was a good few miles away from the blast zone. He had a good idea about what just happened. It was rather hard NOT to connect a multi-million corporation full of pricks and bastards he had recently had a falling-out with to an implement of death aimed right at him. In hindsight, it was horribly imbecilic to believe that they were honest when they told him he'd get an evening to think things over and then be able to leave with the knowledge that their entire business is fuelled by the blood of innocents. By now, those lying snakes had probably talked to his men at the base already, telling them whatever falsehoods they needed to keep them involved in this twisted game of theirs.

His course of action was clear: get in, get his men, get vengeance, and get out. Of course, this was going to be difficult. His juttes were back at the base with Taishigi, though they were broken anyways. The Den Den Mushi he would have used to contact her with had been saved, but it would be too big of a risk to use in case BORED did get to them first. All he had were the clothes on his back, the cigars in his pocket, and the front-door key to the base where his backstabbing employers were held up. It wasn't much, but it would be enough for now.

It was one thing to fuck around with Commodore Smoker. It was another to fuck with his men. And he wouldn't give in until he paid BORED back for all the shit he'd gone through.

**END PROLOGUE**

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

**Authors Note #2:** The first section of this chapter was taken straight from avatarjk137's final entry for Smoker, for the record. By the way, even if I hadn't adopted Smoker, there's too big of a loophole for his death to be permanent. If the Lotus Eater doesn't fry inorganic matter, even if they might not be as durable as a keycard, wouldn't his clothes and cigars remain? I doubt that they're also organic…then again, the 'rush of hot wind' after the blast might've toasted them…

Also, I just realised something. It's Easter, and Smoker would've been declared officially dead if he wasn't adopted by the end of the tournament...weird coincidence, huh?


	2. VS Ban Midou VS Naoya

**Author's Note #1:** While this chapter features Smoker (my current character) and Ban (Khellan's character, who I've fought in the past as Gig), there is also a third participant in this battle. He's not officially a contestant, and the person that brought him into this tournament said that others can use him as long as nothing serious happens…ladies and gentlemen, Naoya from Shin Megami Tensei: Devil Survivor is in the hiz-house! …Whatever that means.

Also, I'm sorry if narration keeps switching perspective, both in the 'different character' sense and the 'first, second, and third-person' sense. Now, let's actually start this, shall we?

* * *

**A Winner Is Two: Der Kommodore**

**FIGHT A: SMOKER VS BAN VS NAOYA**

**A VENDETTA, A QUARREL, AND A PLAN FOR REVENGE**

Ban opened his eyes shortly after Robotnik had left. Saying his fight had gone 'subpar' would be putting things into the best possible light. He was slammed into the side of a cliff, left in the perfect position to be murdered, and the piece of the golf club he was using as a sling had been taken from him. Those two halves of a whole club had probably been in battles since the beginning of this tournament, and though the lack of a sling would be bad for his arm, losing it caused a dent in his pride more than anything.

As the GetBacker managed to get back onto his own two feet, he realised that things could have been worse. For one, he was still alive. He hadn't counted on the doctor to show sympathy of any sort, but apparently he had, and Ban was certainly glad about that. For another, Robotnik had apparently left him a handgun. It couldn't have been merely dropped by accident or discarded due to uselessness, due to the fact that it was resting at his feet in such a manner that it was impossible to miss.

Best of all, Robotnik was a bit too preoccupied with his current mission to cover his tracks; he had left the door wide open. Ban picked up the gun and made a dash for the entrance, all the while trying to keep his arm steady without aid from the sling. He stepped into the BORED HQ just before the doors locked up behind him; this was likely a security measure in case a contestant tried to break in by tailing a mook rather than earning a keycard of their own.

"Well, Ban, look where you are now," the Genius of Battle told himself. "You're exactly where you need to be, but with a broken arm, plasma burns, and no way to get past any locked doors you come across. There's only two ways this can go: worse, or better. Like some so-and-so one said, better to think positive and be proven wrong than think negative and be proven right…What an asshole."

Ban began walking down the hall, making sure to watch out for any surprise attacks from the local goons. There shouldn't be too much to worry about, though, if Robotnik had just cleared a path through this area. There were already a good five or six dead mooks a few feet ahead, and it seemed unlikely that reinforcements would be able to get past the doctor, if they had a reason to come this way at all. Inspecting them closely, Ban found that one Klokateer had been impaled with the half of the club he had used as a weapon instead of a sling. Robotnik probably couldn't figure out a good reason to keep hold of it, and decided to use it for some purpose rather than to hold on to the piece of junk.

Ban decided to pull the piece out of the dead body, grab a few other odds & ends from the Klokateers, and use this brief moment of rest to fashion himself another sling. It wasn't as good as the previous sling, which had been all handle and no club, but it would suffice from now. Plus, Ban regained a little of his pride back, and couldn't help but smile over his luck. "Maybe that asshole wasn't so bad after all…"

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

Smoker didn't waste any time as he dashed towards the nearest doors to BORED central. After all, once the commodore has a vendetta against someone, dilly-dallying is not an option. His plight must have been deemed worthy by some higher cause, for he hadn't run into anyone along the way to an entrance, and the few guards that hadn't abandoned the post were long dead. Smoker didn't dare to search their bodies for gear that could help his task; after all, he himself had fallen into BORED's clutches without knowing the truth, so some of those mooks might actually have been decent people…once.

Once he used his keycard to enter the base, things were barely any different. Some of the contestants must have broken in, as the security was barely concentrated and the radio announcements were practically in a panic. Not every journey could be completely peaceful, though; one Klokateer, who was apparently assigned janitorial duties, had apparently heard about his betrayal. After shrieking about seeing ghosts, the mook had realized that Smoker was in fact still in a live body, and decided to throw his mop bucket at him. As most, this dampened the commodore's clothes and made him a little more annoyed. The idiot was soon put into a sleeper hold, and the commodore continued on his way.

Just when things were looking as positive as they could in a situation like this, Smoked decided to take a shortcut to the docks through the mess hall. Just a few steps into the oversized cafeteria, he spotted a familiar face entering from one of the other doors. It was the 'B' in GetBackers, AKA Midou Ban. Last time they had met, the commodore had broken the brat's right arm, saved him from a volcano, and ditched him at the bottom of the mountain. It seemed that, since that encounter, the 'delivery boy' had attempted to fix himself using discarded sporting equipment. Unorthodox, but given the circumstances, anything would help.

"Well, if it isn't a blast from the past," Ban uttered, trying to look into Smoker's eyes from across the room. It had failed the other two times, but GetBacker was willing to believe that the third time would be the charm. "You know, I'm genuinely glad that you decided to spare my life when you had the chance. It was an honourable, if imbecilic, action. However, I don't believe that's quite enough. An eye for an eye, a nose for a nose…how about I settle for an arm for an arm, and then you just pretend that I was never here? That would certainly make this easier on the both of us."

Smoker didn't have time to deal with this brat, and it didn't seem like he'd be walking away from this without a fight. He would just get over to him and cut his oxygen supplies for a few seconds, just like last time…oh, wait a second. He'd almost forgotten about the mop bucket. If a Devil Fruit user makes contact with any liquid, save for the blood and mucus already inside of them, his or her powers are temporarily nullified. It's one heck of a drawback, especially if your career path involves sailing on the open seas on a daily basis. Looks like he'd be dealing with Ban in the old-fashioned way…

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

Naoya's mission was simple. He would find the location of Raidou and Nero, and utterly annihilate the devil summoner and the half-demon using his brilliant COMP and the powers of Lucifer. The plan was as simple as that. However, when Naoya spotted a half-wounded brat with a golf club cast wandering into the mess hall, he couldn't help but tail him. After all, all work and no play could drive him insane…if he wasn't already. Having to remember every previous life he'd had made it hard to tell sometimes.

He decided to watch from just outside the entrance the paraplegic had used. It was a wise idea not to uncover himself at the first opportunity; it appeared that a former enforcer was not only more alive than rumour said, but said 'ghost' was getting involved in the affair. Naoya decided to let the weaklings rough each other up before swooping in for the kill. He didn't mind; he had the patience of a rock.

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

Smoker and Ban charged at each other like two mountain goats about to ram heads. Smoker swung first with a left hook, but Ban managed to duck down and roll to the side. From his position, Ban attempted to perform a sweeping kick and knock Smoker off of his feet, though Smoker managed to see the kick coming and jump over it. However, Smoker's soaked clothing was also a bit slippery; when he landed, the lack of friction caused him to fall on his kiester. Ban took this opportunity to stand back up, grab one of Smoker's legs with his good hand, and swing him like a hammer at the Olympics. Though Smoker was heavier, the reduced friction between the man and the floor and the momentum that Ban was building soon caused the commodore to become helplessly airborne.

After a few more rotations, Ban flung Smoker with carelessness. The commodore hit one of the mess hall's walls with his head and fell to the ground, but he'd taken worse hits from pirates before. After standing back up, he soon felt himself sandwiched between the wall and something else, and his arms were pinned. Ban had taken this opportunity to turn one of the mess hall's rectangular tables on its side, and slide it over to Smoker. The table's legs easily stuck into the wall, as there was a layer of plaster covering the titanium. This was one of the more public sections of the base during times it wasn't being invaded from all sides, and thus it was supposed to look nice, but it was harder to put a coat of paint over metals like titanium and adamantium than it was for plaster.

"And it looks like that's the end of our little quarrel," Ban gloated, standing to the left of the pinned Smoker and staring at the trapped, unbroken arm that was surely losing circulation and becoming numb. "You must secretly _want_ your arm to be snapped; this battle went much faster and was much easier than our previous encounter. You never even turned to smoke this time around! Perhaps the guilt from what you've had to do to contestants has finally built up to the point of sanity slippage, and this is your only escape from it? No matter. Either way, in this little game of cat and mouse, I'd say the cat wins."

"I must agree, you naïve simpleton. It's a bit odd for two mice to be going at each other instead of watching their backs while in the cat's territory, but I surely can't complain at the result."

That was certainly not the voice of the commodore. Ban turned around, and his eyes widened. He thought things had been too easy, and that Smoker would pull out some secret weapon. But certainly, aligning himself with what must be hell spawn was not expected in the slightest. Smoker was surprised as well; though he was still trapped, his head was facing Ban. And, he could just make out the colour and the shape of the new arrival by staring at the reflection of the golf club sling he was using. Apparently, Ban had cleaned the thing to avoid infection before strapping it to his arm.

"His name is Naoya," Smoker told the GetBacker. "I took the time to memorize the personnel files for some of the more…'interesting' goons hanging around this place. Don't know how Jade managed to get a picture of his demonic 'Cain' form, but once you've seen it, it's hard to forget. Isn't always this way; he's usually some grey-haired bishonen with a justifiable grudge against the Christian god."

"Thank you for the little history lesson, but I'd rather focus on surviving this," Ban said, wondering how to escape. Behind him was a wall, and in front of him was Naoya. To his right was Smoker, who could be waiting for the right moment to use his powers to escape and wring his neck. And though his left was clear, Naoya was certainly able to see that, and would be ready to strike if he tried to escape.

Naoya's eyes locked in on Ban's; he wanted to savour the look that would be on the boy's face once his entrails were thoroughly ripped from his flesh. However, he had not expected a foe with so many injuries to have Midou's agility. Right as he swung, the GetBacker had dodged the strike by a hair's width, and was raising his own arm to strike. One cry of "Snake Kill" later, and Naoya was out. A rather anticlimactic way for his current incarnation to end, but Naoya didn't have time to complain.

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

"Hello, my son."

Naoya's eyes snapped open. He found himself floating in an endless void. And before him, there was an indescribable presence. But the energy coming from that presence, and the words it had spoken, filled Naoya's eyes with fury as he realised whom the being was.

Jehovah. YVHV. God. The being that Naoya had to owe for the curse that has lasted eons was before his very eyes. Had the paraplegic's punch struck a weak nerve, killing him and sending him to this purgatory? Naoya would have to thank him in the next life; in all the millions of years since his first death, the being he had devoted his life to eliminating and disgracing had never been so close. Finally, the power and opportunity to end a grudge older than modern time itself!

"…So, it's finally come to this," Naoya uttered, his smile akin to a maniac's as he stared at his eternal tormentor. "Before, I thought that the best way to get my comeuppance was to corrupt your prodigy, Abel. But this is better than I had dreamed! With the form that Lucifer had once blessed me with, and with my own technological brilliance granting me great ability, I have the opportunity and the sheer power to delete you from the face of existence, and with my own two hands!"

"My son, I cannot die. As long as I am believed in as a god, be it by the Sunday masses or a single spirit, I shall always return to this world. And every time you spit at my name, every moment you dictate your life to my regicide, you confirm that I am still a part in this world, and I may live on."

…What?! …Garbage! Filth! Nothing but lies, it had to be! Too much time and effort had gone into his plans for them to be for naught! This…this was just a trick; a ploy to break his concentration. If God couldn't even consider a moment of mercy for his soul in the past millennia, then what stopped him from being dishonest with him as well? And it wouldn't be the first time that God had lied, if the Book of Job was a reliable reference…

"Save your shit for the apostles! I shall not let you deny me my vendetta! You brought this upon yourself, you know. You never appreciated the effort I had put into everything back when I still blindly followed you! I worked just as hard as that despicable lapdog Abel, and I have never once been in your good graces! Not even my crops were good enough for you, and they were planted in the same bloody soil! And then, to 'teach me a lesson' for losing my temper over it, I'm forced to remember every single moment of every single incarnation I've ever had! I never deserved such punishment, because it was all the HATE you had blessed me with that drove me to commit the act!"

"My son…Cain…you are correct. It was my decision to create all aspects of man, including the possibility of sin. I had believed that mankind would surpass the temptation of sin and earn a place in the universe closer to my side, but it seems that I was a fool for doing so. And you…while I love all of my children, I am sorry for neglecting you and comparing on result over effort. Please forgive me, my beloved Cain."

…No…no…no! This was not how this meeting was supposed to go! For thousands upon thousands of years, God had forsaken him, given him a punishment worse than his crime! Naoya finally had the power and the opportunity to be rid of his tormentor once and for all…and he was _apologizing_ for his crimes? _Admitting_ his incompetence?!

"D…damn you! What did I tell you about that shit coming out of your mouth?! Your promises and kind words are less important to me than mere dust! No matter what you do or say now, you cannot take back those years of suffering I have endured…however, sacrificing your life would be a wonderful start!"

"…Very well. You remind me of Aleph, a being who was also determined to create a world without my presence. I attempted to show him mercy, but for the greater good of mankind, he had to be dealt with. If you freely choose to walk on the same path, then I must do what is right for my creations."

Before Naoya could even take a step, a powerful pressure trapped him in place. He felt as though every internal organ of his from the bottom up was spontaneously combusting, for no other purpose or reason than because it was what God wanted to happen to him. Was this really how it would all end? Brought down in one blow, before even getting a single attack? Had his plan for vengeance really been a hopeless dream from the start? Was he doomed to-

"You idiot!"

As the surroundings were flooded with light, Naoya quickly realised that those last two words were not spoken by the Almighty Creator, but by the punk that had knocked him out.

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

"Just couldn't wait for me to escape, could you?" Ban shouted, pointing an accusatory finger at Smoker. After using his Evil Eye to trap Naoya in an illusion, he had attempted to run out through the nearest exit and leave the commodore to deal with the mess. But, just as Ban had gotten halfway there, the commodore's successful attempt to get himself free had ended with Naoya getting knocked on the head with the table. Naoya was now free of the vision, and now knowing that it was all lies, he was in a rage. Gone was the cold and calculated figure who was planning three steps ahead; right now, all he wanted was to eliminate the pests before him and get back to hunting for Raidou.

The half-demon decided to decimate the commodore first, simply for being closer. With his mighty fist, Naoya grabbed Smoker and slammed him against a wall, pinning him there by the throat. As he wondered which ten percent he could remove to cause the most suffering, Naoya didn't see Ban halting his flight. Realising that the G in GetBackers would never get off his case if he told him about ditching an honourable man, Ban pulled out the gun that Robotnik had left by his feet. The Genius of Battle took the chance and shot the only part of the demon that looked the least bit vulnerable: the arm which had an electrical device fused within it.

The shot connected perfectly with one of the screens, cracking it and causing the device to short circuit. The electric shock stunned Naoya long enough to drop Smoker, whom dashed away from the wall and towards his temporary comrade. The demon turned towards the pair with fury in his eyes; not only was he being defeated by a pair of mere mortals, both of whom were more weak than they had ever been in their lives, but the buffoons had also ruined his COMP. He could easily repair all but the cosmetic damage, but nonetheless, their lives were still as good as forfeit.

If there was any humanity left within the being known by some as Cain, it did not reveal itself as he lunged his body towards Smoker and Ban. The duo scrambled towards the hallway, running as fast as they could in their current condition. It wasn't enough; the distance between Cain and his opponents was becoming shorter with each passing second. Once the maggots had reached the hallway, they paused. The imbeciles! This was the perfect chance to slaughter them! Focusing all his power into his fist, he charged towards them, swung with intent to kill, and…

…Hit a door. A door? A door. A FREAKING DOOR! …No matter. Not in the long run. Naoya would let them get away this time; if they outsmarted and outmanoeuvred him, they earned this victory. Finding Raidou and Nero were bigger concerns anyways. But, if he ran into those two again, they would _**pay**_.

~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~ ! ~

On the other side of the door, Smoker was removing his keycard from the device in the wall. Ban was on one knee, holding his chest and trying to catch his breath. The GetBacker thought that it was a miracle that the two had survived that encounter…not that he would tell Smoker that, of course. Ego was a precious thing, and it didn't seem wise to sound panicked to a former enemy.

"I remember those pussies in top office muttering that we could seal off rooms to trap any contestants that managed to break in here. Bet they didn't count on the fact that anyone with a keycard could do some sealing of his own," Smoker told Ban as he slumped against the wall, catching his breath. He also took this moment to wring out his coat; the faster he dried off, the faster he was back in fighting shape.

"A rather odd way to end a battle, but any fight I can walk away from at this point should be deemed successful," Ban uttered. "Now, after what we just went through, it would be impolite to ask you to break your own arm. But I want us to be even, and I'm not really up to pinning you against a wall again."

"This should make us more than even, you little brat," Smoker said, tossing his keycard in Ban's direction; the detective easily caught it. "No matter how much I despise those BORED bastards, I've got to keep looking for my men. Plus, even if you tried to ditch me, you still ended up saving my life. And I _really_ hate to owe anyone favours."

"Eh, all in a day's work," uttered Ban, as he pocketed the card, turned around, and started to walk away.

Before he could take another step, the Genius of Battles felt the commodore's hand on his good arm's shoulder. "One more thing, Midou," Smoker told him. "If you manage to get to one of those punks, aim for the one that thought it was a good idea to build a giant fucking space laser of mass destruction. That thing really ticked me off."

"I'll try," Ban replied, before shrugging off Smoker's arm and continuing down the corridor. As Smoker turned away and started to walk, he hoped that this would be the last time he ever saw that kid. It wasn't that he hoped that Ban would get himself murdered; in fact, Smoker was wishing that the kid would succeed in eliminating some of the filth that ran this dump. It was just that Smoker could no longer stand the sight of the kid whom, under different circumstances, he'd have to kill with his own two hands. Another murder at this point in time would have caused a strain on his mind, and he already had enough problems to give himself a heart attack.

It was about time that Smoker solved some of those problems. He recognized these hallways from his time as an Enforcer; it shouldn't be too hard to find his way back to the docks.

FIGHT A: END

VERDICT: A LOSER IS NAOYA

* * *

**Author's Note #2:** Show of hands, who here was surprised that I gave Ban the keycard in Smoker's possession, the one object he needs in order to challenge BORED's main operators and put an end to this tournament? For those that didn't, suspicion should've set in when I set the fight limit to a single week, while every other contestant's match was due in 1.5 weeks. I've realised that this was the perfect opportunity to finish this tournament, even if I'm not the one who will succeed in the end. Personally, knowing that Ban wouldn't be able to take on this challenge without my help is good enough for me.

Also, I'd like to mention how I really, really like that golf club. That thing was first used in the first fight of the tourney, between Gambit and me. It's become bloody and broken as time passed on and it traded hands from Waluigi, to Gig, to Vitali, to Ban, to Robotnik, and now back to Ban. But it's still proven to be useful, even this far into the competition, and I can't help but be sentimental about it.


End file.
